Method of gasifying liquids.



G. A. EYNON. METHOD OF GASIFYING LIQUIDS. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 25, 1915.

Patented May 2, 1916.

4 SHEETSSHEET 1- 0. SSNMQQ G. A. EYNON.

METHOD OF GASIFYING LIQUIDS.

APPLICATION FILED 0CT.'25,19I5- Patented May 2, 1916.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

G. A. EYNON. METHOD OF GASIFYING LIQUIDS.

APPHCATION FILED OCT. 25. 1915- 1,,181,51 6. Patented May 2,1916.

4 SHEET$-SHEET 3- ZZ/z 1755555;

G. A. EYNON, METHOD OF GASIFYING LIQUIDS.

Patented May2, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4 APPLICATION FILED OCT. 25, I915 ple, -so as to GEORGE A. mmou, or CLEVELAND, onro, ASSIGINOR TO THE UNIVERSAL camauanron comrA-um'or CLEVELAND. 01110, A CORPORATION or 0510.

METHOD OF GASIFYING; LIQUIDS.

Gasifying Liquids, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained and the best mode 1n Wl110l1 I have contemplated applying that princidistinguish it from other 1n ventions.

My invention relates to processes for gasifymg, liquids.

Moreparticularly, my

for gasifying, fuels for use in operating internal combustion engines. K As a particular illustration of ,my mproved process, meansin which said process may be success fully carried'out to gasify petroleum, not only the lighter distillates but also the heavier distillates, especially all grades of. kero- Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods of I shall describe hereinafter,

' Specification of Letters Patent.

- lines H, Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a broken vertical" invention relates to" in described, illustrating one mode of carrymg out my improved process; Fig. 2 (is an elevation of the same; Fig. 3 isa horizontal section upon the lines 33, Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is Patented May 2, 191m. Application filed October 25, 1915. Serial No. 57,737. x

a vertical section and elevation upon'the f section upon the lines 5-'5, Fig. 3, illustrating particularly the mixing and combustion chambers and the heating and ignition devices, hereinafter fully described; 6 is v a broken perspective view of the chokeplates-hereinafter fully described; and Fig.

is a vertical section upon the line 7-7, Fig. -1.-

Referring resents a fuel supply pipe, 2 a screen or filter, 3 afloat needle valve opening regulated by float needle valve 4 operated by float '5 and levers 6 by which aconstant level of fuel is maintained in the fuel-chamber.

Fuel passes through the passage 7 toward the preliminary mixing chamber 8, theflow ,sene or" even crude 011; particularly a .car-

bureter construction .suitable for carrying out the gasifying of petroleum for use in automobiles and allied mechanism. These means, which I shall hereinafter describe,

-1900) is. based, and the herein described and hereinafter claimed I 'By thus referring to the use of illustrating'steps improved process, are those upon which my pending application for United States Letters Patent, Serial No. 855,894 (series of improved process has been divided out-.of said application, Serial No. 855,894; (series of 1900.

, ent invention in connection with internal I combustion engines, I" do not mean to limit for the carrying out ofmy the presbeing regulated by the adjusting shaft 9 act mg as a valve at 10 said shaft being pro-- vided with a threaded portion which causes. it upon being turned to regulate the flowof fuel at 10. This'regulation is' effected as follows: A lever 38'is secured to shaft 9 and a ratchet -w heel- 39 is rotatably mounted upon the said'sha'ft and is engaged 37 is rotatably mounted upon the shaft 9,

by an opening connection 40 which is secured. to the lever 38. An adjusting lever is secured to ratchet wheel-39, and is hinged;

to a connecting link 36 which in turn is the same to this use, as many other. adaptations of the invention will readily suggest themselves to meri skilled inthevarious arts. To the accomplishment ofthe foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of the steps herein fully described and particularly pointed out inqthe claims.

The annexed drawings and-the following I description set forth in detail means for and one-mode of carrying out the invention,

such disclosed mode ofullustrating, however,

"but one :of the various ways 1n which the principle ofthe invention may be used. In said annexed drawings :'.-Figure 1 is a central vertical section of the means herehinged to an adjusting lever 32 provided with extended lugs 33. Lever 32 is actuated bythe movement of the shaft29 upon to the annexed drawings, 1 repwhich'is mounted a butterfly valve 28 of standard design for controlling the amount of gas iven to the engine. Shaft 29 is 0perated by means of lever 30 and connecting rod 31. ing closing the valve 28 are liked by the ad usting screw 34 and stop lug 35 against which the extended lugs 33 on the adjusting lever 32. strike. Assuming then that the fuel controlled as desired is being fed into the preliminary mixing chamber 8, the apparatus *i' designed to intimately intermix the fuel and air within the spirit ofthe in- The limits'of movement for open-' Pat nt erial No. 79 L2 6 (series of 1900) in that a plurality of separated columns of intimately intermixed fuel and air are formed the passage 7 laterally into the preliminary mixing chamber 8 and is caught u while spread out in a thin body and intimately intermixed with the air in the air currents through the openings 13 and 12, thus forming a number of separate columns of mixed vapor and air. The lateral movement of the fuel and the size and position of the apertures 12 set up eddy currents in the separate columns thus preliminarily mixing the fuel and air. The preliminary mixing chamber 8 is smaller in diameter than the mixing and combustion chamber proper 17, the upper part of which will be hereinafter fully described as a' combustion chamber, so that someair passes up around said preliminary mixing chamber 8.. Upon emerging from the apertures 12, the. separate columns of intimately mixed fuel and air intermix, the resulting product being an extremely intimate intermixture of the separate columns of liquid and air, the proportions of each being controlled by the relative sizes of the air and fuel supply conduits, as well as by the proportions of the apertures 12 and 13 in the plates 8 and 8 of the preliminary mixing chamber. 7

-For the purposes of starting up the automobile engine, the intimately intermixed fuel and air is vaporized by means of a heat 'ing. element 14 through which an electric current is passed which vaporizes the mixture absorbed by a wicking 15 about which the heating element shown as a coil 14 is wound. Said wicking is comprised of noncombustible and as far as possible non-destructible absorbent material and is placed above the' preliminary mixing chamber 8. being held in place by the heating element 14 and further held in place by a metal 001- lar 14 which is fastened to or can ,be made integrally with 'the upper plate 8 of thepreliminary mixing chamber 8, said collar 14 being inside of the apertures 12 so that said wicking 15 lies in an idle or semiidle spot. A'very small part only of the mixture being drawn through, is thus ab sorbed by the wicking 15'and heated by the heating element 14. A spark plug 16 is inserted over the wicking 15 and a spark is produced at the idle or semi-idle spot which starts into a flame the highly vaporized liquid produced by the action of the heating element 14. The entire combustionchamber 17 is thus immediately filled with fire or flame and the vaporized liquid continuously drawn forward by the suction of the engine passes through this flame.

In order that the aforementioned flame may not pass into the engine and in order that no more than a small per cent of the vaporized liquid may be burned or consumed by the flame, choke plates 18 and 19 are provided. the former having annular rows of holes 20 and downwardly projecting tubes 21, and the latter a central hole 53 leading into .the auxiliary air opening 54. The purpose of the tubes 21 is to spread the flame in the combustion chamber 17 and thus keep the latter full of flame. These plates 18 and 19 efi'ectually check the flame and'allow the highly gasified products of the incomplete combustion to pass through to be mixed with the-auxiliary air and then through the intake manifold to the engine cylinders. In order to make the action more positive and to sustain the supply of gas at all times. a supplementary non combustible. non-destructible wicking 22 is provided which is placed on top of the upper plate 8 of the preliminary mixing chamber 8 outside of the apertures 12 and adjacent to the outer wall of said preliminary mixing chamber. being held in place by means of annular rings 22 formed integral with said chamber 8. The use of this auxiliary wicking 22 has not been found necessary under many conditions but with the use of certain fuels and under certain limited conditions has been.

found to assist the action, In order to better control and check the flame in the combustion chamber 17. a baflle plate 23 is provided below the choke plate 18 of somewhat smaller diameter than the diameter of the combustion chamber which forces the flame outwardly thus assisting in the control of the same. Said baflie plate 23 is provided with an aperture 23 Fig. 5. located over the spark gap and which serves to promote a slight current of air movement past the spark point thus sustaining the fire or flame. An additional non-combustible, nondestructible wicking 24 is carried on top of the baflle plate 23 which further helps to sustain the flame and to make the action pos itive under all running conditions. Only under certain' limited conditions and with the use of certain heavy fuels is the use of this auxiliary wicking 24 been found necessary. In the event that the heating element 14 has failed for the purposes of starting the engine, I use the priming tube 26 connected with the priming cup 27 into which latter may be poured a light-fuel. I have never found it necessary to use the priming tube priming cup 27 with a light provided in order that if at any time the heating element 14 fails to produce a gas with which the engine might be readily started, the difliculty might be overcome by the use 9f some gasolene or other light fuel in the riming cup 27. After the engine has been e ectually started the use of the heating element 14 is discontinued. Only the early flow of the mixture is heated and vaporized by the heating ele cut 14, the latter being turned off. or posi ively rendered non-effective just so soon as a material part.of the 1 mixture, or the early flow thereof, has been subjected to all the steps of the process and has resulted in a highly gasified product which is being properly exploded in the engine and producing the desired working impulses. v The auxiliary air intake 54 is supplied through the valve 41 guided by pin 41 adjustably seated on 43 'and locked thereon in any predetermined position by means of lock screw 44 and the latter is adjusted by cap 46 which is in turn held in any predetermined position by spring 45. A dust cup 47-is also provided. As the suction from the engine increases, the valve 41 opens and is held by. spring 42.

valve 48 is provided having openings 49 Q is. held by a spring 51.

through the openings 49 thence through the alcohol, kerosene and crude oil.

factory use of these heavier distillates ef which is rotatably mounted on a pin 50 and The air passes openings 02 in the carbureter body and mingles with the gas drawn through opening 53 from the combustion chamber '17: The valve 48 is set and-the openings 49 are constant. 1 a

The foregoing method has been found to secure a complete gasification not only .of the light distillate's of petroleum, but also of the heavy distillates such as all grades'of The satisfects a great economy in the cost of operation of internal combustion engines. The true gas that I thus obtain from the heavier distillates-is obtained at ordinary atmosphericpre'ssure and is a gas of a different quality than is produced by any process with which I have, heretofore been acquainted in that for a long period it will not condense at ordinary atmospheric temperature, a gas which when further mixed with air is very highly explosive and which leaves little or no carbon or other deposit in'the cylinders, and creates very little smoke at the exhaust. By the use of the heating step described, illustrated in the disclosed apparatus by the heating element 14, in combination with the preliminary mixing illustrated in the disclosed apparatus as effected in the i preliminary mixing chamber 8, which step in itself intimately mixes the fuel and air.-

it is not necessary to use the light distillates for starting the engine to raisethe A supplementary air ing step; also without the aid of this step,- my inventlon will more highly 'vaporize kerosene and the heavy distillates than any process with which I am acquainted; and with the aid of this step will convert these heavy distillates into a true gas highly satisfactory even for the starting of the engine. I desire to particularly point out that the combination of steps which I have described procures very positive action of the engine under all running .iconditions. Further-' more, I desire to point out that, inasmuch as it is not necessary to rely on the heat of the exhaust gases, my invention can be carried out in any type of internal combustion engine regardless of the position of the exhaust manifold.

The various uses to which my improved process can be applied will readily suggest various the foregoing description has dealt with such an application of the invention as -afiording the best and clearest illustration of the steps of my improved method.

I claim: 1. In a method of gasifying liquids, the

steps which consist, 1n producing an intimate intermixt re of fuel and air by catching up the fuel, while spread out in athin body, in a plurality of separated columns of air; intermixing said columns of fuel and air in the presence of more air; producing a flame fed by the resultant mixture; and smothering the same before a substantial amount of the mixture has been consumed.

2. In a method of gasifying liquids, the steps which consists, in producing anintermixture of fuel and air; heating such mixture by bringing it into contact with an absorbent material associated with a live elec tric coil and capable when saturated of holding a comparatively small amount of the mixture; then, gasifying the heated mixture by producing aflame fed by said heated consist, in setting up and maintaining cur rents of fuel and air: heating thei'fuel in the early flow of said fuel current; lntermingling the heated fuel with the air; and

subjecting the heated mixture to incomplete combustion, the heating of further fuel being omitted after the early flow thereof has [been subjected to the entire cycle of operations effecting gasification.

i. In a method of continuous gasification of liquids for producing automobile motiye power or analogous results, the steps which consist, in setting up and maintaining currents ofiuel and an; intimately intermixingthe same; heating the early flow of said mixture by bringing it into contact with an absorbent material associated with a heating element and capable when saturated of holdmg a comparatively small amoimt of the mixture; and subjectmg the heated mixture to'incomplete combustion, said heating ele ment being fnon-eflective after the early flow of the intimately intermixed fuel and air have been subjected to the entire cycle of operations effecting gasification.

5. In a'method of continuous gasification of liquids for producing automobile motive power or analogous results, the steps which with an absorbent material associated with a lire electric coil and capable when saturated of holding a comparatively small amount of the mixture; subjecting the heated 30 mixture to the action of a spark plug and simultaneously mixing with more air; smothering theresultant flame; and

the resultant products withmore air, said electric coil being positively'rendered nonefiecti've after the 'early flow of the intimately intermixed fuel and air'have beensubjected-to the entire cycle of operatlon efl'ecting gasification.

Signed by me, this 18" day of Oct.,.1 915. 40

GEORGE A. EYNON. Attested by i MAUDE E. PORTER,

H. G. BLANDFORD. 

